. sandy's aftermath. dozens dead. millions without power. billions of dollars in damage. storm is gone but its effects linger. >> hip get it all together. all right? i promise. i promise. you're is going to be okay. >> the process of cleaning up begins as residents along the battered coast try to get their lives back to normal. >> we feel for everybody here because we are everybody here. >> sandy muting the presidential race, the candidates campaign in the final days to the election. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, november 1, 2012.

good morning. good to be with you. i'm terrell brown. recovery is slow going for millions of people affected by sandy and the superstorm is not done yet. storm remnants triggered flood watch warnings from northern new england and mid-atlantic states. winter storm warnings for central appalachians and flooding advisories across the lower great lakes. 74 people have been killed by the mega storm at one point. 60 million people were without power. it's fallen to 40 million people. and back up batteries and generate ors are failing knocking out one in five cell phone towers. here's a timeline video of how some 650,000 new yorkers lost power. the storm rolled in. you see the freedom tower on the right. night falls. the sub station explodes. lower manhattan is plunged into darkness. mayor bloomberg said could it be days before power is restored.

>> reporter: good morning. i'm standing in front of the entrance to new york's fdr drive. this is one of the areas that remains flooded after the storm. down at the jersey shore the devastation is even worse. president obama visited new jersey to see firsthand the damage from superstorm sandy. the president and governor chris christie flew in marine one to see the devastation. president obama promised the government would do whatever it can to help storm victims. >> we'll follow up to make sure you get all the help you need until you rebuild. >> reporter: not far away the search for traps or missing people on staten island can't. nypd rescued six people from roof troops on wednesday. there are signs of life is returning to normal in new york city. all three airports are open as of today as is the new york stock exchange and broadway

shows. problems still persist. traffic in the city is nothing short of a nightmare without public transportation wednesday manhattan streets were clogged with people trying to get back to work. there's some good news. subway and train service is starting up again today at least on a limited basis. >> i am declaring a transportation emergency. >> reporter: mayor bloomberg is mandating that all cars driving into manhattan has to have at least three people. >> i know it is inconvenient for a lot of people but the streets can only handle so much. >> reporter: half of all gas stations in the area are closed. >> hundreds of cars here trying to get gas. >> reporter: analysts say it could get another week to get all the gas stations back up and running. lack of power continues to be a problem in this area of manhattan. officials say, though, that people in manhattan may see the lights go back on as early as tomorrow or saturday. in other parts of the city it could take a week.

>> the massive storm surge may have taken two little boys on staten island. about two dozen concerners went looking for them wednesday. police said their mother was driving monday night during the storm and the rising water stalled her suv. she got out with her 2 and 4-year-old sons and the floodwaters swept them away. she reportedly survived by hanging on to a tree. storm damage forced another hospital here in new york to be evacuated. ambulances evacuated patients from bellview hospital. heartbreak for dozens of residents of the breezy point community in queens. they returned to their neighborhood wednesday to see most of it had been consumed by flame. a raging fire fueled by sandy's winds took more than 100 homes and the home that didn't burn were severely damaged by the floodwaters.

scott pelley toured the damage. >> reporter: let's show you what breezy point looked like before, rows of houses a block or two from the beach. this is what the neighborhood looks like now. governor andrew cuomo walked the brown today and heard remarkable stories of heroism. the fire started about 11:00 when the hurricane was at its height. by the time firefighters made their way here, water pipes were bursting. and there was little pressure in the hydrants. they laid hoses in the rising water and used the flood to fight the fire. assistant chief is the incident commander. what did it took like? >> like a blow torch. fire, flames shooting up in the air 100 feet and moving quickly to the west driven by t hurricane. >> winds of something like 80 miles per hour blowing this fire. >> exactly. the winds coming off the ocean,

very intense flames blowing from the southeast. we had two fronts of fire we had to deal with. >> when it comes to residential fires in new york city, where does this one rank? >> as far as i know unless you want to go back into the 1800s this is probably the biggest private residential fire that was had at least in modern times. >> the biggest one in new york city in modern times. how many houses destroyed? >> 111 houses, totally destroyed by fire and 20 that received substantial damage from the fire. >> that was scott pelley reporting. after effects of sandy is being felt in me of. flood warnings are being reported in ohio. more rain is in the forecast for today. schools are closed and 150,000 homes and businesses still have no power. >> residents across western north carolina are trying to dig out after three days of snow. some areas got as much as two feet with four feet deep.

the governor declared a state of emergency for 24 mountain counties but the ski resorts are loving this. one opened up on halloween the earliest opening ever kbroop the u.s. has never experienced such a wide scale natural disaster this close to election day. both candidates had to temper their message in the wake of the storm but that could change today with five days left president obama goes back on be the campaign trail with events in wisconsin, nevada and colorado. governor romney arrives in virginia a day after an event in another battleground state. >> mitt romney campaigned in florida wednesday but during his three rallies he never once mentioned president obama by name. >> understand what it takes to get this country going again. >> he refrained from an all out attack on the president who was visiting with disaster victims in new jersey. instead romney made his own pitch to help those affected by the storm. >> if you have the ability to help please provide some resources to people there and

give calls to your loved ones and keep folks in your thoughts and prayers. it's a big part of what america is. >> the romney campaign ended up back pedalling wednesday over remarks he made about disaster relief funding. at a republican primary debate last year romney down plad the federal government's role in disaster response. >> every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states that's the right direction. it can go further and send it back to the private sector that's even better. >> with the campaign in its final days and superstorm sandy dominating the headlines, it could bounce. >> it's tailor made for a campaign ad even though politics have been off the table the last several days i wouldn't be surprised to see an outside group say that for the obama campaign. >> romney issued a statement in which he said fema place key

role during times of disaster. as president i will ensure fema has the funding it need to fulfill its mission while directing maximum resources to the first responders who work tirelessly to help those in need because states and localitities are in the best position to get aid. >> the rhetoric between the two candidates have been toned down that wasn't the case for their running mates. vice president biden accused the romney campaign of lying. at a campaign stop paul ryan said the ad was inaccurate. up next on a thursday morning a closer look at some of the damage sandy left behind along the jersey shore. this is the "cbs morning news." one day george got an important letter... he's built a rocket ship to travel into space. it's just the right size for a clever monkey.

do you want to go into space, george? you will have to be very brave. hi, grandma! oh hi,. my little monkey! here. thank you very much. you're welcome. everyone got on and they were off to the launching site. google, how far is earth to the moon? moon is 238,900 miles... the great moment had come... ...5...4...3...2...1 and that feeling you get from your favorite pair.

jcp's denim bar makes the perfect fit easy. the levi's you'll always reach for. at low prices, every day. ♪ get it on onof chocolate lovers from the thmelting point of chocolate. so when you take hershey's chocolate and add bubbles, it deliciously melts the moment you take a bite. hershey's air delight. it just might make you melt. this is what governor chris christie would call stupid. amateur video shows jet skier

cruising down the streets along the jersey shore. the driver kicked up a big wave as a thrill seeker cruises by homes. not the time or place. the shore is the driving force behind new jersey's 35.5 million dollar a year tourism industry. hurricane sandy hit it head on. now beginning to gate closer look at the damage left behind jeff glor has more now from atlantic city. >> reporter: sophia chose to ride out the storm a decision she now regrets. >> this is scary. scary not to know if the water would come over. i literally thought the ocean would come in to my home. >> reporter: it didn't but a 50-foot section of the atlantic city boardwalk landed in her garage. >> saw the boardwalk float down the street. i never new the destination was here. >> reporter: in your garage. a short drive away parts of

pleasantville, new jersey was left in shafbles ever being battered with wind gusts over 70 miles per hour and a tidal surge that tor people's homes apart. >> when i left everything was in intact. i came back yesterday morning -- this is -- >> reporter: most of the water has receded. now the cleanup begins. >> get my mother's picture. >> reporter: her family helped her pick up the mess left behind. >> i'm leaving here in a box. >> reporter: she wants to rebuild. her daughter said that's very difficult. >> everything she has is here and it's practically all gone, all gone. she doesn't have anything. >> reporter: officials caution they are still a long way from deciding who can rebuild. the more immediate concern is getting the power back. as of wednesday evening 60,000 remain without it in atlantic county. in atlantic city, i'm jeff glor, cbs news. as the u.s. begins to assess

sandy's nation caribbean nation sandy killed 71 people. the storm didn't make a direct hit but brought days of heavy rain. sandy destroyed 70% of haiti's crop. 21 people are still missing. up next, your thursday morning weather and tall stories. we'll hear from the men who had to secure a run away crane atop a new york city high rise.

here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. increasing clouds in new york. 53 degrees. mostly sunny in miami 80. mostly sunny in chicago 51 degrees. dallas 84. . l.a. 70 degrees. let's check your national forecast. the remnants of sandy are now in canada but expect scattered rain, snow showers and strong breezes in mid-atlantic and parts of virginia. rain and snow showers will linger in michigan and ohio. rest of the midwest remains dry. out west the storm brings inland bringing showers to the northwest. the southwest stays dry. here in new york a crane that snapped from sandy's high winds continuing to dangle more than 70 stories up. it is right down the street from this building. john miller spoke with two city engineers who took on the draws task of making sure the crane doesn't fall to the street

below. >> reporter: during the storm that snapped the boom off the crane with winds gusting through and swinging the hanging boom back and forth two new york city building department engineers had to get to the top of the building and answer the question would the boom hold or come crashing down? for most of the long climb the only way up was the stairs. >> i've never heard anything as loud as wind howling in my life as we got to the 48th floor and you have to apply so much pressure to open the door. i was with him. we got into the hallway and you could almost get stucked right out. >> reporter: michael and timothy had to check each of the structural braces that held the tower with the crane on top the side of the building. >> we were concerned about the upper most part. if that tie had failed that means the mast could fall.

1,000 foot mast. >> reporter: if the climb up was perilous it was nothing once you got out on the roof. >> a place where no normal person wants to be. >> i'm looking for information. i know i'm tied off. once you know you're tethered you're okay. you start looking around and start doing real work. >> john miller reporting. a bizarre discovery in the wake of hurricane sandy. historic oak tree toppled in new haven, connecticut it veeled a skeleton that dates back to the colonial era. it remains 2001 of the thousands buried in the 1800s. a medical examiner will evaluate the remains. then what do you do with it? when we come back another look at this morning's top stories and smugglers stop. they get a snag at the top of a border fence.

here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. in d.c. clouds and sun. 57 degrees. atlanta 62. mostly sunny in st. louis, 64. denver 75. seattle 57 degrees. top stories now on a thursday. the death toll from sandy reached 74 people. life is slowly returning to norm. flights resumed. new york stock exchange is open and lights are back on broadway. after tour the storm damage with chris christie president obama hits the campaign trail traveling to three states and mitt romney starts a rally in virginia. a company tied to the massachusetts pharmacy linked to the meningitis outbreak has announce ad major recall. ameridoes is recalling its products from pain killers.

steroids have been connected to the meningitis outbreak that killed 29 people. smugglers from mexico tried an unusual approach to getting the goods over the border. they tried to drive their jeep cherokee over the top of the 14-foot fence in southeast california using a makeshift ramp. agents on patrol came across the jeep just as it got stuck. two people trying to free it fled back into mexico when agents got there. they tried. the streets of san francisco were awash in orange and black not for halloween but to salute the baseball giants. there was a parade wednesday. fans carried brooms. guess why, by the way? to represent san francisco's four game sweep of the tigers. i didn't immediately think that. that just me? i was thinking witches and

halloween. cool. good to see. coming up after your local news on cbs this morning the latest on recovery efforts from hurricane sandy. i'm terrell brown. this is your morning news. [ mother ] you can't leave the table till you finish your vegetables. [ clock ticking ] [ male announcer ] there's a better way... v8 v-fusion. vegetable nutrition they need, fruit taste they love. could've had a v8. or...try kids boxes! could've had a v8.

good morning, and welcome to 9news now, today is thursday, november 1st. it's all saints day. i'm andrea roane. >> and i'm mike hydeck, this brought to you by tea and honey. monika samtani's going to have traffic momentarily. howard bernstein has the forecast, we have one school

closure though this morning. the chapel forge early childhood center in upper marlboro, maryland is closed that's because of power outages. >> i don't know if we've ever worked with a mike that wasn't on coffee caffeine phone this morning. that will be -- this morning. that will be a new change. >> just to let you know he feels fine, just the old froggy in the voice taking residence. weather-wise i hope you're feeling fine. minor considering what's going on with our neighbors up in new jersey and new york and part of new england as well. cold this morning. it's back in the 40s even some upper 30s. we'll see temperatures today 51 by noon. 55 for a high. kind of like yesterday with peeks of sun here can there and stray shower north and west and a bit of a breeze at times. still watching the chill as i said, manassas is 39. while it's 45 in the shenandoah valley. with a little bit of a windchill. feeling more like it's in the mid 30s in frederick and 39 martinsburg and feeling like 39 also at andrews. sandy's remnants still spinning

across areas up into new york state now with showers and mountain snows. so a photo, i think in garrett county 30 inches of snow and that was yesterday afternoon. notice couple of sprinkles trying to reach the ground to our north and west. don't believe that too much of this is actually reaching the ground but if you have a rain drop on the windshield this morning not out of the we. upper 40s this morning shenandoah valley to about 55 here in d.c.. monika samtani good thursday morning. good morning howardment on fourth street at moore street northeast, there there's a serious fire downtown and with that situation you have closures around the area. and if you're heading to 395, on the southbound side, there was an accident blocking the right side of the roadway southbound 395 here at duke street. so be aware of that as well. let's take a live look i believe it's been cleared. i was checking out the ram is and -- cameras and i think everything is good to go now.

this is the northbound side of 395 as well. all lanes are open to the 14th street bridge. some good news the accident is out of there. a live look elsewhere. planning to head here at the 14th street bridge, a little further north things are good into the downtown area. all of your potomac and anacostia river crossings are fine and a last live look at the beltway north of town looking good here at new hampshire avenue. let's hope we don't have a repeat of yesterday. back with more traffic at 4:9. back to you guy d -- 4:39. back to you guys. remnants of superstorm sandy are virginia are causing problems in virginia, maryland and west virginia. >> residents are dealing with as much as 3 feet of snow. still power outages. more snow is coming. about 200,000 customers are in the dark across that region right now. >> dominion virginia power is trying to get the last of its customers back online. >> there are still more than 3,000 customers without power in northern virginia. this is what it looks live now in the boston section of arlington still in the dark. surae chinn spent the day with

crews trying to get the lights back on. >> reporter: it's a welcome sight to residents after sandy's destruction. >> what we have here is what was a real quagmire. >> reporter: the more damage, the longer the outage and the wait for repairs. waiting anxiously is agnes, bundled up on day two without power, she's learned from, pierce with four days in the dark -- experience with four days in the dark from the derecho. the kristin family is trying to stay plugged in. >> we went down to the local starbucks and filled up the local electricity to get some homework done. >> how cold is it? >> it's freezing. >> did you do all your homework? >> reporter: heard the moment it all went dark. at the height of the storm a tree came crashing down taking